The present invention relates to static control devices, and particularly relates to wiping cloths providing control of static charge buildup.
Wiping of plastic, glass, and other substantially insulative surfaces to remove particles of dust and dirt may result in a buildup of static charge on the surface of the material, which re-attracts the particles to the surface. Re-attraction of dust and dirt particles to surfaces such as photographic film, computer monitor screens, acrylics, and other common polymeric materials can result in such problems as scratching of the surface from repeated wiping of computer screens, visual defects in picture framing, or dust spots on photo enlargements.
Conventional antistatic wipers use conductive yarn or treatments to change their surface resistivity. However, the resistivity of the wiper is not related directly to the reduction of static charge on an insulative surface because by definition, an insulator cannot be grounded. Many surfaces such as polymeric materials and glass are good insulators and tend to accumulate electrons on their surfaces. A conductive material can transfer electrons readily to such a surface when it is wiped. A grounded conductive, static dissipative, or anti-static surface is not able to consistently remove static from an insulative surface. This concept is described more fully in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,501,899, 5,690,014, and 5,740,006, all by the same inventor as the present application and incorporated herein by reference. This concept is important in the understanding of the present invention and the differences between the wiper described herein and conventional wipers.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an ionizing wiper that overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.
It is another object of the invention to provide an ionizing wiper that combines the characteristics of a conventional wiper with at least one wiper portion that uses ionizing points at the surface of the wiper.
The present invention is an ionizing wiper for removing static charge from a substantially insulative surface comprising a cloth, being made of ordinary wiping material, and a plurality of ionizing points being disposed on said cloth defining an ionizing wipe area. The plurality of ionizing points being of sufficient density such that air between said plurality of ionizing points and an object is sufficiently ionized to remove static charge from the object.